With intentions of challenging his team, Manteca head coach Brett Lewis sent out an email to coaches from the Bay Area and Sacramento region in the offseason to set up a nonleague game.

“The first to reply was going to be the one I was going to take,” Lewis said.

That’s how the Buffaloes ended up in Oakland on Friday night to take on Skyline, the alma mater of NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton. They returned home celebrating a 61-47 victory.

“We knew were going to get a playoff-type of environment and we got exactly what we wanted,” Lewis said. “We didn’t have much of a crowd (in support of the Buffaloes) there, but the gym was packed. When they made a run they went crazy and we weathered the storm. It was a great win in all aspects of the game.”

Lewis credited the defensive effort, particularly Angel Perez’s, in the second half. The Titans (3-3) were held to single digits in the final two periods despite a hot start to the half. Golden Vinters ignited the home crowd by pumping in seven straight points, but he was shut out for the remainder of the game with Perez defending him. Perez also had 13 points to lead all scorers.

“Angel had a huge game for us,” Lewis said.

Anand Hundal recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. He and Tydus Verhoeven (seven points, seven rebounds) rendered 6-foot-8, 240-pound center Evan Hanson a non-factor. Raymond Gallardo chipped in 10 points for the Buffaloes (6-1), while 6-4 junior Wesley Brownlee paced Skyline with 12.

East Union 55, Gregori 48

The Lancers (1-5) never trailed in the second half and tallied their first win of the season in Modesto.

“We worked pretty hard in practice this week and focused in a lot of details of executing on offense,” East Union coach Ryan Tarr said. “We played more as a team and shared the ball better, making the extra pass. Defensively we were able to play with energy.  It’s definitely our best effort up to this point.”

Gyse Hulsebosch led the way with 17 points. Cody Keener added 15 points, and Arvind Singh drilled four 3s for his 12 points. Tyler Janitz turned in 16 points for Gregori (3-3). Gyse Hulsebosch 17 points

Weston Ranch 84,
 Patterson 73

Jazz Swanson knocked down five 3-pointers, including a contested 26-footer with less than 3 minutes to go as the Cougars (1-1) pulled away from host Patterson.

Four of Weston Ranch’s starters scored in double figures, paced by point guard Jaelen Ragsdale’s 22. Swanson finished with 15 points, Jordan Strane chipped in 13 off five offensive rebounds, and sophomore Tre Simmons had 11.

Meanwhile, the Cougars’ fifth starter, Fred Lavender, flirted with a triple-double. Saddled to the bench with foul trouble in the first half, Lavender scored all eight of his points in the second half. He also had seven steals, six rebounds and three assists without a single turnover.

Galt Tournament

Ripon Christian 88, Livermore 21

Sean Broker poured in 18 points and 10 rebounds and was one of 13 Knights to score in a first-round shellacking in the Galt Warriors Classic.

Lukas Vermeulen finished with 12 points and nine boards, while Daniel Hannink chimed in with 10 points.

Ripon Christian takes on Amador at 1 p.m. today.

Turlock Tournament

Turlock 65, Ripon 44

The Indians (4-3) couldn’t get untracked offensively in their 38th Annual Frank Godinez Tournament semifinal. Turlock (4-2) advances to the championship round of its own tournament for a third straight season.

Andrew Wood was Ripon’s lone double-digit performer with 13 points. Aaron Paschini, Mario Roach and Cole Stevens — who had been doing much of the scoring for the Indians so far this season — combined for just 17 points. Ripon was held to just 15 points in the first half.

Desmen McFaddin paced Turlock with 13 points but sparked the Bulldogs early by accounting for 11 of their 14 first-quarter points. They meet Beyer in the championship round tonight at 6, while Ripon squares off with Grace Davis in the third-place game starting at 4:30.

Sophomore boys

Manteca 45, Skyline 40

The Buffaloes led by more than 20 points at one point in the third quarter and held on for the win.

Matt Ender anchored Manteca with 14 points, and Jose Garcia contributed eight.